April’s Best and Worst in Vegan Beauty

April’s Best and Worst in Vegan Beauty

I can’t even remember April coming and as I sit here and recount if there were even highlights, I can’t help but laugh how I ended its very last weekend with a cringe-worthy experience. Ok last Friday, in my attempt to declare it April’s ultimate TGIF, given that I anticipated a long weekend, I sort of let gluttony ruined the course of my “celebration”. Before heading home, I ordered some vegan nachos with extra salsa and guacamole. This is my favorite food to order from Down To Earth (vegan/vegetarian deli and whole foods store in Oahu, Hawaii). I also added vegan carrot muffin, ‘coz you know, sometimes you just have to indulge right? Girl I was so hungry so I devoured my nachos fast. Like fast and furious. Then had one muffin, because TGIF! Que horror, ten minutes after, I thought I was going to explode and rush to the ER! I had the gassiest and worst bloated experience ever. It’s nothing like I’ve had before. Beans, galloping air related to eating fast, extra salsa and dessert, these all led to a night of aches and gas! TGIF you guys, Thank God I Farted, haha! I know, it’s funny after-the-fact but I learned my lesson so well. The following day I was feeling better so Saturday kind of redeemed itself. Hubs and I watched the movie Blockers, basically it’s about parents trying to intervene in their daughters’ prom night. Anyways, scroll down now to see my round-up of the best and worst in vegan beauty for the month of April. These are all new products that I have tried, purchased or sent for review.

A total win is this BB cream with SPF 30 from vegan and cruelty-free brand Coola. Called Rosilliance, I initially purchased Light/Medium during the VIB Rouge sale (watch video) and then repurchased Sand shade few days after. These two remind me of By Terry Cellularose Brightening Serum which I already stopped buying because it’s no longer cruelty-free as of last year. Both Sand and Light/Medium render subtle illumination which when worn under makeup or foundation gives a well-rested and radiant appearance sans glitter-bomb effect. The sunscreen component is titanium dioxide. It does “tighten” the skin which somehow helps minimize the appearance of pores. As you can see from the swatch, it’s light and easily blends. It pairs well with any of my go-to foundations such as Kat Von D Lock It or Tarte Amazonian BB Tinted. While you can apply it with your hands, I prefer using artis oval 7 brush. (read how to shop vegan at Sephora)

Another hit is Drunk Elephant’s Framboos Glycolic Night Serum. This compliments my other favorite from this brand which I already repurchased many times, Sukari Babyfacial (watch Best of 2017 Vegan Beauty). It usually takes me months before I can fully endorse a product but believe me, this serum significantly helped my face when I experienced zit attacks last month. So many things that could’ve triggered it (i.e new hair color which irritated my hairline, chemical peel which purged my skin) but given that I talk about skincare both on the blog and at work by virtue of my profession, I needed to explain my situation to my patients so that I don’t look like a false prophet, you know what I mean. I will be dedicating a full-length topic on acne and preventing hyperpigmentation following a breakout but this serum is really a face saver! It combines 12% AHA (helps brighten complexion) and 1% BHA (helps to unclog pores), enough to save a damsel in distress! (read how to get rid of hyperpigmentation)

So let’s talk about makeup! A surprising find was this customized palette from Colourpop. I really want to have some nice purple eyeshadows so when I saw that there was a promotion (buy 4 + 1 free case), I took that chance to randomly select eyeshadows that caught my fancy. For reference, Colourpop is cruelty-free but not entirely vegan but all their products are properly marked vegan if they are such as the shades you see from the above photo (read affordable vegan makeups). I also happened to like this lip gloss from Thrive Causemetics, it was part of Vegan Cuts Beauty Box for Spring. It doesn’t feel sticky and the mauve shade is daytime-appropriate. Vegan Cuts Beauty Box Quarterly subscription is something I budgeted this year so I can expand and try other vegan makeups and brands outside Sephora. You can watch my previous unboxings here , here and here.

Have you ever tried a powder deodorant? this was a first for me and I’m happy to report that Madame Lemy did not disappoint. First, can you dig that vintage-looking packaging? it reminds me of old Hollywood glam, complete with puff and all. It’s free from aluminum, talc, heavy fragrance and paraben. Madame Lemy is vegan and cruelty-free. I don’t suffer from hyperhidrosis (medical term for excessive sweating) but this variant I tried has lemon peel extract in it which has antibacterial properties. Just puff light-handedly in dry, clean skin and look away so you won’t accidentally inhale the powder.

I commend you for reaching this far but I know you are curious as to what made it to my err list, two offenders! I really want to like both or give them another chance but my experience proved otherwise. Check out my initial reaction when I sniffed this Rose Water Vinegar from vegan and cruelty-free brand Zabana. I thought I could get past the revolting, strong, and odd fragrance of rose and vinegar combined, but I can’t! A quick whiff of rose which is immediately replaced with headache-inducing apple-cider-Bragg-ish fragrance that stays on your skin even if you wipe it away. Another disappointment was this cream eyeshadow from 100% Pure. I got it from Vegan Cuts subscription. I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest. It doesn’t help as a primer and it doesn’t last as an eyeshadow.

I may not be vegan but I do try to pick cruelty free makeup and personal items. I really appreciate how detailed your posts are on these topics. You make it easy for me to find good swaps for my non-vegan products.

I want to try Coola, but I need to get color matched because I suck at trying to pick my own shades. I hear you on the scent of rose in products – not my favorite scent….which is weird because i love the scent of the roses in my yard (they smell sweet like jelly) not floral like what is found in products. So confusing.

April was terrible for me, no lie. I had so much stress (family) that my skin was broken out, my psoriasis was out of control and my skin was peeling from my scalp, arms and legs, and I was just a mess. Also before I forget, I used Coola years ago – I had no idea they were still around!

As for products, I didn’t really find anything I loved but I definitely found something I hate… I had a shampoo that I got as a press sample that’s hailed as all natural – made from a face wash or something like that. It just made my hair greasy and feel weird. I ended up throwing it out completely but I wished I had grabbed the name of it so I can warn others!